ARLINGTON, Texas - Abilene Christian volleyball picked up its first Western Athletic Conference win and first true road victory of the season as it took down UT Arlington 3-1 at the College Park Center on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats snapped their four-match losing streak, doing so against the reigning conference champions.
Wrapping up its seven-match road trip, ACU outgained UT Arlington in kills, 55-42, with a .271 hitting percentage and nine service aces. It's tied for the fourth-most aces in a four-set match in the Wildcats' Division I era.
Wrapping up its seven-match road trip, ACU outgained UT Arlington in kills, 55-42, with a .271 hitting percentage and nine service aces. It's tied for the fourth-most aces in a four-set match in the Wildcats' Division I era. They limited the Mavericks, the nation's leading team with 145 total aces and ranked second with 2.38 per set, to just five aces.
Annaleise Sevier added a career-high 14 kills at an efficient .480 percentage with ACU's lone solo block, the second of her career. Her 15.0 points are a career best.
Hannah Gonzalez and
Courtney Church combined for 14 kills, while
Abby Christian and
Becca Siedenburg notched two aces apiece.
Rachel Koss, the WAC leader in assists per set, tallied 34.
The Wildcats answered a 4-0 start to the opening set by the Mavericks with a 7-1 run that pushed them into the driver's seat. ACU gained a lead it wouldn't relinquish, grabbing a 15-8 edge by the midway point of the set.
UT Arlington got within a couple points following a 6-1 rally, but ACU controlled the tempo the rest of the way for a 25-17 win. Edmiston and Sevier tallied five kills each, with Edmiston adding a block assist with Gonzalez.
As both teams traded points to begin the second period, the Mavericks opened it up with a 9-0 rally that pushed them ahead, 16-7. They led by as much as 22-13 before the Wildcats staged a late run to get within four points. UT Arlington evened the match with a 25-20 victory as Edmiston and Church combined for nine kills.
ACU responded with a hot start to the third set, taking a 13-4 advantage behind a trio of kills by Edmiston and Sevier. A 6-1 Maverick run got them within four points, but the Wildcats kept their feet on the gas en route to a 25-16 win. Sevier finished with five kills to go with a solo block.
ACU's momentum carried into the fourth set, where the Wildcats jumped to an 11-4 lead and stretched it to 15-7 at the break. They held serve for the remainder of the period as they clinched a 25-17 win that capped a three-game skid to the Mavericks. Edmiston rounded out her career day with five kills in the final set.
ACU returns to Moody Coliseum at 6 p.m. Thursday versus Southern Utah for its WAC home opener. The Wildcats will be staging Volley for a Cause, a night that allows both ACU volleyball and the Abilene community to show their support for a specific initiative or charity meaningful to them.
